You Are a Child As Long As Your Parents Are Alive
by Yell the Punmeister
Summary: Gintoki has always been good with kids. Tsukuyo can't help but admire his "older brother" skills.


"So let's be clear: no work today. We came to visit you."

"Like I'd work with an idiot like you."

"You do it all the time. I come here to relax and visit the beautiful ladies of Yoshiwara, and you drag me on some kind of hunt for drug dealers, former teachers, and my personal favorite, Yato warlords who rule this place with an iron fist, and whatnot."

"It is not my fault you can't resist being called 'Savior of Yoshiwara'. Not even once did I ask for your help."

"Except for the three instances I mentioned above."

"Right."

Sakata Gintoki was sitting on a bench, relaxing and eating dango. Tsukuyo, leader of Yoshiwara's Hyakka which consisted of skilled women who were in charge of maintaining order in the city, was leaning at the door, casually smoking from her kiseru pipe. They've been bickering ever since the Yorozuya came to visit them.

Kagura and Shinpachi were playing with Seita a little bit away. His mother, Hinowa, said she has some work to do and asked them all to keep company to Seita. It was an easy job, since that's what they usually did when they were in Yoshiwara.

"Gin-san, Gin-san! Can you teach me how to fight with a sword?" Seita asked, running towards the gloomy duo.

"What? You're too young for something like that." Gintoki said.

"But Shinpachi said he already knew all the basics when he was my age. Please…" Seita begged, knowing that no one can resist the sad face he made just now.

Gintoki finished his dango slowly, buying time to think over this matter. It is not like Seita should ever be in need to use a sword, but it may just help him pass the time. Also, it did kind of look fun and he was bored, what with the famous "Courtesan of Death" just sitting there being silent as usual. But he couldn't just agree with the kid, because that would confirm he was weak to children's pleas. That was something the person next to him didn't really need to know

"Then if he had all the basics by your age, why don't you just ask Shinpachi to show you?"

"Because when you fight it's much cooler!" Seita grabbed a stick from the ground and started waving it around. "You go like this! And this! And like this!" Seita was poorly mimicking Gintoki's movements, tripping on the last one and falling on the ground.

Gintoki sighed and stood up.

"It's not like that. Look, straight your back. Good, now your legs must be a bit apart because you need stability, right? Lower down your knees a bit…"

Tsukuyo, who was until now silent and not paying attention to anything was now watching them with curiosity; in fact, she was watching Gintoki. It bugged her how good he was with the kids. This was not the first time she saw him interacting with them, and each time she was more and more amazed by the easiness he handled them. All the kids saw him as a big brother. Maybe he had a little brother in the past? Maybe he has a child? She shuddered at the idea of Gintoki having a child and almost dropped her kiseru. That was just not possible. Wouldn't they all know about it by now?

"Ah, thanks, Gin-san!" Seita said, searching around the area excitedly. "I should show it to Shinpachi now!"

"Speaking of those two, where are they?" Gintoki asked.

"Ah, they said they are gonna take look at the shops for a bit" Seita shrugged. "Well, Kagura-chan wanted to go and Shinpachi –san tried to drag her back here, but ended up going with her."

"Oi, oi, I know the stores here and their merchandise. Those two are too young for these kinds of stores. Why did you let them go?"

"Why are you complaining about them but not about me, even though I am younger than them?"

"Never mind, just find them and tell them to come back. We have work to do and will go as soon as Hinowa comes back."

"Fine, fine. Geez, Gin-san, are you in a bad mood."

Seita ran towards the shops, shouting Shinpachi's and Kagura's names all the way. Gintoki sighed and sat once more at the bench. Just his luck, now he was alone with Tsukuyo. He noticed the look she had while he was playing with Seita. For who know which time that day, he sighed.

Tsukuyo lit up her kiseru once again. She really wanted to ask him about all this, but didn't know how to approach the topic. She wanted to know more about his past but Gintoki was as closed as ever when it came to it. The little bits she gathered were mostly slips of the tongue and what she heard from others. If she asked him now, he would probably just shrug it off and evade the topic, like he always does with sensitive things. Still, it was worth a try. If he evades the question, well, it's not like she wanted to know about his past. She was just curious, that's all. It was fine by her.

"Gintoki –, "She began.

"You know, I never knew my parents. The earliest memory of my life is just me wandering around, trying to survive day by day." Gintoki said casually, looking at the sky.

She didn't say anything out of fear he may stop. Even though she didn't want to admit, she wanted to hear him out.

"One day, a guy turned up and took me in. It was my sensei. Well, I could say he was something like a parent to me. He taught me how to write, read, sword fighting. I had plenty of good memories from back then. You could say it was the best period of my life. Not that this isn't, too, you know…"

"I see."

"Well, it was kinda an orphanage. I wasn't the only kid he took in. I was one of the oldest, though. They all looked up to me and I was the big brother. When sensei couldn't do it all by himself, I helped him out. Of course, plenty of children that went to his school weren't orphans. That's how I know that idiot, Zura."

"Ah, that…"

"Yes, that one." He chuckled. "Anyway, I think that answers your question"

"Which I didn't ask."

"Please, you were asking me all the time I was playing with the kid. I can read you like an open book, Tsukki."

"I was not!" Tsukuyo yelled, losing composure for a moment. After that, an unusual silence ensued between them. She felt uncomfortable now. She wanted to know more, but couldn't ask. It felt like the conversation about this was over. In the end, she couldn't bear the silence anymore and asking the question was better than all this.

"So, are you still in touch with them?"

"Yeah, I visit them once a year. Not all of them, but those I can." He said dismissively.

"Right."

The silence dragged on again. She hated it.

"You know, I think you'd be a good father one day." Tsukuyo said suddenly and promptly shut up. Where did this come from? Why did she say that? He is going to tease her so much now.

Instead of teasing her, Gintoki just shrugged and murmured something. It was almost inaudible, but she heard him clear.

"I'm just a broken plate in the back of the shop."

"No you're not! That is not true." She said, being annoyed by what he said now. "There will be a girl who'd marry you. You just need to… get yourself in check a bit."

"Well, first of all, that is not your business. Second, what is wrong with me right now?"

"You drink too much, you cuss too much, you are an idiot generally and not even I would marry—"

She stopped talking suddenly. This was something he wasn't supposed to know, and yet she blurted it out. She prayed that he didn't hear what she just said, but to no avail. Gintoki was grinning mischievously.

"What was that? I didn't catch it quite clearly."

"N-Nothing, shut up."

"Ooooh, did the Courtesan of Death, the woman who abandoned her womanhood just say she wants to marry me?"

"No I didn't." She tried to sound as calm as she could, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her. If he says just one more word, she is going to shoot all the kunai she has at him. To her surprise, he just stood up and put a hand on her head, messing her hair up.

"Shinpachi and Kagura are arriving and that's my cue to leave. Tell Hinowa I said hi and that maybe we'll meet her next time. Nice seeing you, Tsukki."

She recovered from the shock a bit late. Gintoki already left.

"Don't call me Tsukki!" Tsukuyo just about managed to shout to him. He just waved his hand as goodbye and then they were gone.

"What an idiot," she said to herself, puffing out a smoke from her kiseru. "And yet, he would indeed be a good parent."

**A/N: Happy birthday Faris! **I know how much you love GinTsu so here's a lil' present for you. GinTsu! Anyway, it's kinda a miracle I managed to finish this on time, what with my mom urging me to come home this weekend instead of next and me being unable to go anywhere ad all things happening in real life being just a giant mess... But somehow, I got it done. I am so happy with it.  
Also I am happy about the dialogue. It felt quite natural this time, and even though it is not a shippy fic, it is about my favorite couple.

I hope you like it, Faris.

PS: Those people from orphanage who Gintoki visits - it is my headcanon that they all went to avenge Shouyou-sensei, but only Joui 3 survived the war. In case you wondered...


End file.
